Introduction
Out of the many wonderful travel benefits you can get from Southwest Airlines, my favorite one is the change and cancellation policy.
Unlike other major airlines that charge a hefty amount to make changes to your existing ticket(s), Southwest Airlines generously lets you CHANGE and CANCEL your tickets for absolutely no cost whatsoever.
Here’s where it gets better.
→ You can make changes to your flight ANY number of times, and
→ You can make changes up until 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time, even if you’ve already checked in.
Absolute philanthropists right here!
So how does this work?
The major weightlifting, though small, has to be done by you.
All you have to do is watch out for a Southwest Airlines Sale.
Easy-peasy!
And whenever a sale goes live and you have existing Southwest Airlines tickets, here’s what I highly recommend you follow to save money/points:
- Log into your Southwest Airlines portal and click on ‘My Account’ to see your booked tickets.
- Click the ‘Change Flight’ option. Don’t worry you’re not going to be changing anything about your travel. Your departure date and time and location remain as is. You are just checking to see if the price for the same flight has decreased.
- Click on the trip you want to change. Hold on to the same date and destination. Now hit ‘Explore options’.
- Now, if you see a price drop, you can book your ticket for the same time and date as your previously booked ticket(s), AND get the difference credited back to your account.
- Review changes and you’re all set. Your tickets are now at a lower cost for the same trip.
Final Thoughts
This strategy works on bookings done with both points and cash.
And yes, you can make these changes on the website as well as your Southwest Airlines app.
It’s important to keep in my mind that cash refunds come back to your Southwest Account as a Southwest Travel credit which you can use for your future travels.
It will not be credited back to your original payment source — unless it is a ‘Business Select’ or ‘Anytime fare’.
And that’s it.
Travel for less so you can travel more.
Because traveling on a budget couldn’t be more accessible!